Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry...Ogunseye says police searches were justified

Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry…Ogunseye says police searches were justified

Jul 03, 2014 News

Working People’s Alliance Member, Tacuma Ogunseye, yesterday admitted that security forces knew that the WPA had weapons so “searches” were justified. Ogunseye had earlier told the Rodney Commission that members of the WPA were subjected to searches by the Police Force.
Under cross examination by lawyer for the PNC, Basil Williams, Ogunseye said that he believed that the searches were justified. Ogunseye also admitted that he was operating outside of the laws of Guyana when he was handing out guns to members of the WPA.
Williams asked Ogunseye on whether the WPA had made a conscious decision to cause a civil rebellion. But the witness did not accept that proposal. He stated that he had no knowledge. However, Williams produced several pieces of writing by Eusi Kwayana among others. Kwayana had authored a booklet, “Walter Rodney, Georgetown: Working People’s Alliance, 1988″.
“This movement which we have called the Civil Rebellion, for the reason that it was a civilian movement, saw almost the whole society creeping out of the shadows into the light of hope once more, standing in defiance of the power that was extracting submission of their very self-respect, and imposing economic and financial oppression and hardship.
“It embraced all of the coastlands, except the western part of Essequibo, and included the bauxite belt,” stated a portion of the book that Kwayana wrote and which Ogunseye was questioned about.
Ogunseye said that the court system under the rule of former President Forbes Burnham was unfair.
According to the witness most judicial members back then would normally agree with the government. He said that on a scale from one to a hundred, 75 percent of rulings were unfair while a mere 25 percent were fair. He said that judicial workers then didn’t have the “backbone” to stand up to Burnham.
He was making special reference to his own experience and that of Rodney’s brother, Donald Rodney, who was charged and later convicted for the possession of explosives without legal authority.
Ogunseye said that he believes that Burnham was very personal in his oppressive tactics as a Leader, and did not want too many political prisoners. Ogunseye said he thinks Burnham was responsible for the death of Dr. Rodney; that he cracked under political threat from the WPA and lost his nerves.
Ogunseye maintained that Burnham and the security forces masterminded a plan to kill Walter Rodney.
Further, Ogunseye said that the “plan” was carried out by former army sergeant, Gregory Smith.
Ogunseye denied that the WPA was acquiring arms and ammunition even though several other witnesses had said that the party was involved in such an exercise.
Ogunseye is also claiming that, that extra judicial killing was very rampant under the rule of the People’s National Congress (PNC) government.
However, according to the witness, extra judicial killings worsened when the current People’s Progressive Party (PPP) regime took office.
He said that the WPA developed a political defence which was to win the army over and make it an ally of the revolution.
He conceded that among the Party’s objective was to overthrow the government outside of the electoral process and admitted that some leaders were given automatic pistols.
The WPA Executive denied knowing of any plan to blow up the Georgetown Prisons, as was alleged, or that Rodney had any such plans. He said the WPA was not violent in any way in its revolution movement.
He added that the Party never killed any member of the Police Force or PNC supporters.

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